Doublewalled partition with insulating material therebetween

ABSTRACT

In a double-walled partition the walls are formed of abutting panels located on opposite sides of an internal attachment framework comprising floor and ceiling runners and a number of widely spaced posts therebetween, sound-absorbing fillings being provided in the openings of said framework. The spacings between the posts of the attachment framework many times exceed the width of the panels, and the panels of each wall have grooved edges and are interconnected between the posts by means of vertically extending ribs each serving as a loose tongue between adjacent panels and having a cross section projecting inwardly from the joint without spanning the interspace between the two walls.

United States Patent Larsson 1 Oct. 14, 1975 [5 DOUBLEWALLED PARTITION WITI-I 3.309.825 3/1967 Zinn et a1. 52/241 INSULATING MATERIAL THEREBETWEEN :32; f g f Inventor: u rti! Larsson. Le m aI397I495 8/1968 '11'1ompson e t aI: 1:11:11: 52/241 Sweden 3,420,023 1/1969 Gregori 52/593 3,487,598 1/1970 L/opina 52/241 X [731 Asslgnee- 3 GYPIMI Mahm' 3,683,575 8/1972 Meziere... 52/241 we en FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [221 1974' 1.368251 6/1964 France 52/496 [21] Appl. No.: 443,546

Primary Examiner-Emest R. Purser l' Data Assistant ExaminerL/eslie A. Braun 6 6,802, Aug. 25, 1970, abandoned. ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Applicafion p i i Data In a double-walled partition the walls are formed of Se t 10 1969 Sweden 1247' /69 abutting panels located on opposite sIdes of an Interp nal attachment framework comprising floor and ceiling runners and a number of widely spaced posts [52] U 5 Cl 52/241 72 1 32 therebetween, sound-absorbing fillings being provided [51] In Cl 2 6 2/76 in the openings of said framework. The spacings be- [58] Fieid s 241 281 tween the posts of the attachment framework many g times exceed the width of the panels, and the panels of each wall have grooved edges and are interconnected [56] 1 References Cited between the posts by means of vertically extending ribs each serving as a loose tongue between adjacent UNITED STATES PATENTS panels and having a cross section projecting inwardly Blaw I. from the joint spanning the interspace be- 2,218,465 10/1940 Gunnison t th t l] 2,581,625 1/1952 Brady 52/615 ween e we f 2,958,403 11/1960 Robertson 52/264 X 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures DOUBLEWALLED PARTITION WITH INSULATING MATERIAL TI-IEREBETWEEN This is a continuation of application ,Ser. No. 255,294, filed May 19, 1972, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 66,802, filed Aug. 25, 1970, now abandoned.

This invention relates to partitions and more particularly to double-walled partitions having its walls formed of each a plurality of interlocking facing panels located in side by side relationship on opposite sides of an internal, distance holding attachment structure or frame comprising floor and ceiling runners attached to the floor and the ceiling, respectively, and a number of spaced studs forming with said runners an open framework, the openings of which are at least partly filled with a sound-absorbing material, said wall-forming facing panels extending approximately from floor to ceiling and having a width that is considerably less than their height.

In so called framed partitions of this kind it is common practice to use covering or facing panels having their vertically extending side edges adaptedfor some sort of tongue-and-groove or rabbet connection in order to keep adjacent panels flush and to improve the acoustic seal at the joints between them, and also to use panels of a relatively weak type having an inherent stiffness which is insufficient to avoid severe deflection tendencies of the panel over a length corresponding to its height but sufficient to make the deflection tendency of the panel over a length corresponding to its width practically negligible. Gypsum plasterboard panels, either simple or composite, are typical examples of suitable coverings for such framed partitions, but several other types of panels are well known as a substitute.

Hitherto, in making framed partitions it was general practice to use between the studs of the frame a relatively small spacing corresponding at most to the width of the facing panels and most commonly to only a fraction, eg a half or a third, thereof. However, since the studs normally bridge the cavity between the insides of the opposite coverings of the partition, the sound insulating capacity of prior partitions of the kind in question most frequently was rather unsatisfactory because of so called bridging effects, also when facing panels having flexural properties, i.e., having the quality of producing, in response to sound vibrations transmitted thereto, bending waves of a wave-length shorter than that of the sound in air, such as gypsum plasterboards and the like, were used. Furthermore, the relatively closely located studs between the coverings highly interfere, when a concealed electrical or other conduit installation is to be accomplished in the partition.

The main object of the invention is to provide a partition possessing considerably improved acoustical or sound-insulating properties in comparison with previously known framed partitions and having at the same time a design which will highly facilitate the installation therein of concealed conduits, whenever required. It is also an object of the invention to provide a partition which can be easily and rapidly erected from relatively simple structural parts well adapted for prefabrication, including flat facing panels being easy to transport, store and handle. It is also a valuablefeature of the partition embodying the invention that only a minimum of the joints between the various structural components thereof have to be accomplished by using glue, nails, screws or similar attachment means.

In accordance with this invention there is provided a double-walled partition having its walls formed of each a plurality of interlocking facing panels located in side by side relationship on opposite sides of an internal, distance holding attachment structure comprising floor and ceiling runners attached to the floor and the ceiling, respectively, a number of widely spaced studs forming with said runners an open framework, the openings of which are at least partly filled with a soundabsorbing material, the wall-forming facing panels extending approximately from floor to ceiling and having a width that is considerably less than the spacings between said studs, each facing panel having an inherent stiffness which is insufficient to avoid deflection tendencies of the panel over a length corresponding to its height but sufficient to make the deflection tendency of the panel over a length corresponding to its width negligible, and wherein vertically extending stiffening ribs are loosely inserted and retained in the joints between adjacent facing panels in each wall, said stiffening ribs having along the major part of their length a cross section partly projecting inside the related facing panels without bridging the cavity between the two walls defined by said attachment structure.

In an improved partition embodying the invention there will, accordingly, be only a relatively few studs bridging the cavity between the two walls, and most of the facing panels will be connected with adjacent panels in the same wall through the intermediary of the stiffening ribs in a manner to form a sort of extensive diaphragm in which the various panels have a certain freedom of relative movement at least in their vertical direction, the diaphragm being in contact only with the floor and ceiling runners of the frame and, possibly, with the soft sound-insulating material filling the cavity between the two walls. As a result of this, the two walls of the partition will, at least to a certain extent, act independently of each other, which means that the bridging effect occuring in most conventional partitions is considerably reduced. Furthermore, since the two walls are only to a certain degree stiffened up in the vertical direction by means of the stiffening ribs, which are not firmly secured to the panels, the tendency of each single panel to act as an effective sound radiating membrane is very small. All this has proved to be particularly advantageous from an acoustical point of view.

In addition, the advantage is gained that each wall of the partition can be built up separately and entirely independent of the other or opposite wall and there is no need for correspondence between the joints in the two walls. Accordingly, a required conduit installation in the partition can, if desired, be made when the one partition wall has already been completed and without the necessity of passing the conduits through incuts or openings in a great number of closely located studs. This, of course, highly simplifies the work of the plumber or electrician.

In a preferred form of the invention the floor and ceiling runners as well as the studs forming part of the attachment structure or frame of the partition comprise sheet metal channel bars. Furthermore, the wallforming facing panels of the partition each comprise two boards jointed together in face to face relationship by means of spacer elements maintaining between the boards a small interspace appearing in the form of grooves in the vertical side edges of the composite panel. At least the external one of said two boards should have a low flexural strength and is, preferably, a gypsum plasterboard. Partitions having the most remarkable sound-insulating properties have been built up in accordance with this invention when facing panels of the last-mentioned type have been used as coverings.

Whenever wall-forming facing panels having grooved vertical side edges are used, each stiffening rib preferably has at least one pair of flanges lying in the same plan and extending away from each other, said flanges being then used to engage the grooves of two adjacent facing panels to form a loose tongue between them. This has been found not only to give a very satisfactory acoustic seal of the joint between adjacent panels but also to highly facilitate the erection of the partition. In a particularly advantageous form of the invention the stiffening ribs are bars of I-like cross section having a web portion, the width of which substantially exceeds the distance between the groove in each panel edge and the internal face of the same grooved panel so that the inner flanges of the bar will be located at a certain distance inside the related facing panels, this distance being, however, considerably less than half the width of the floor and ceiling runners. It is also preferred to step the grooved edges of the panels in a manner to permit abutment of the panels outside the stiffening ribs at each joint, whereby the stiffening ribs will be entirely concealed.

For further elucidation of the invention an embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing. In the drawing FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation of a building showing the one side of a partition built up in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 is a considerably shortened horizontal section taken along the line "-11 in FIG. 1 and showing the partition on an enlarged scale,

FIG. 3 is a shortened sectional elevation of the partition taken at the joint between two facing panels in each one of the partition walls and showing a stiffening rib in the right hand wall but no such rib in the left hand wall,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary end view on a still larger scale of the joint between two facing panels including the stiffening rib therebetween serving as a loose tongue, and

FIG. 5 is a shortened side view on a reduced scale showing a stiffening rib of the type used in the partition illustrated in the other figures.

The partition shown in FIGS. 1-3 has two walls mounted on opposite sides ofa distance holding attachment structure or frame. Each wall comprises a plurality of facing panels 1 lying in the same plane, jointed together by tongue-and-groove joints, extending approximately from floor to ceiling, and having a considerably less width than height. As can be best seen from FIGS. 2 and 4, each facing panel is formed with a groove along both its vertical side edges and, in practice, each panel is composed of two ordinary, paper covered, gypsum plasterboards jointed together in face to face relationship by means of spacer elements, such as strips of cardboard or the like, which maintain between the boards an open space which is small in comparison with the thickness of the respective boards. The grooves at the edges of the panel are continuations of the small interspace between the boards, and the outer board in each panel has a slightly larger width than the inner board so that the panel edges will be stepped, as most clearly illustrated in FIG. 4. Also, the outer boards may have bevelled edges as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. The use of plasterboards, commonly ofa thickness in the order of /2 inch to inch, in the panels is preferred because of the particular flexural properties of such boards, but other types of boards may produce substantially the same advantageous acoustical result. Anyhow, the panels are relatively weak having an inherent stiffness which is insufficient to avoid severe defiection tendencies of the panel over a length corresponding to its height but sufficient to make the deflection tendency of the panel over a length corresponding to its width practically negligible.

The beforementioned attachment structure or frame that maintains the distance between the walls formed by the panels 1 comprises in its turn floor and ceiling runners 2 and 3, respectively, attached to the floor and the ceiling to form a sill and a head, respectively. A few, widely spaced studs 4 are provided, mainly at those locations where the partition is connected to another, crossing wall in the building, or where a door or similar opening is required in the partition as indicated at 5 in FIG. 1. In the example shown, the sill 2 and the studs 4 are sheet metal channel bars made eg of bent sheet steel, the width of these U-bars corresponding to the desired distance between the inner sides of the two partition walls. Between the web portion of the sill 2 and the floor and between the web portion of the studs 4 and the bordering wall, the door frame or the like, a relatively soft insulating pad 6 is interposed to form an acoustic seal and to also act as a cushion.

The ceiling runner or head 3 is of a somewhat more complicated cross sectional shape and consists, in fact, of an inner channel bar member 3' and an outerchannel bar member 3", both being suitably made of bent sheet steel and being interconnected in a dovetail fashion. The cross sectional form and size of the inner bar 3 generally corresponds to that of the sill 2, while the outer bar 3" is broader and forms, on opposite sides of the inner bar 3', downwardly directed flanges having on their insides strips 7 of acoustically sealing, e.g. feltlike material. Between the upper side of the head 3 and the ceiling there are also interposed sound-sealing pads 8 which at the same time serve to maintain a small interspace between the middle portion of the head and the ceiling.

As soon as the floor and ceiling runners 2 and 3 have been put in place and secured to the floor and the ceiling, respectively, the erection and attachment of the one or both the partition walls can be started, although it is in practice most common to put also the studs 4 in place before that. The facing panels 1 are then erected and their upper ends are pushed into the related socket formed between the inner and outer bars 3' and 3", of the head 3, whereupon the lower end of the panel is caused to abut against the sill 2. Between the various facing panels included in each wall there are inserted elongate and vertically extending stiffening ribs 9 which at the same time serve as a loose tongue between adjacent panels and. are loosely put in between the grooved panel edges. Adjacent panels are, of course, pushed together into edge-to-edge abutment or as much as the stiffening ribs permit.

Each stiffening rib 9 is in the form of an l-bar, in the example shown being made of bent sheet steel, although it may also be made of any other suitable material, such as extruded aluminum or plastic. One pair of flanges of the bar lying in the same plan and being directed away from each other form the loose tongue in the joint between adjacent facing panels, as most clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The opposite pair, of flanges of the bar 9 and the adjacent portion ofthe bar web enter the cavity of the partition, but the cross sectional dimensions of the bar is so chosen that the por tion of each bar projecting inside the facing panels 'l of the respective walls occupies considerably less than half the distance between the inner sides of the opposite walls. Accordingly, there will be no connection between the stiffening ribs in the respective walls of the partition and, hence, bridging effects can only occur at the bottom and the top of the partition, i.e., through the floor and ceiling runners, and at the widely spaced and rather few studs 4. The stiffening ribs 9 preferably have a length closely corresponding to that of the facing panels l, and their upper and lower ends are shaped in the 'manner shown in FIG. 5 in order to avoid, as far as possible, a mechanical and sound-transmitting contact between the stiffening ribs and the runners 2 and 3.

Those facing panels 1 which are located on opposite sides of each stud 4 are suitably attached to said stud by glueing or by means of screws or the like. All the remaining panels in each wall are retained in their proper interlocked positions exclusively by their engagement with the head or ceiling runner 3 and by means of skirting trims, not shown, inside which the lower ends of the panels are rested on strips 10 of sound-insulating material (FIG. 3).

As can be readily understood from the foregoing description, each wall of the partition can be completed entirely independent of the other, if so desired, and, since the stiffening ribs 9 do not bridge the cavity between the two walls, they do not in any way interfere with a possibly desired installation of concealed conduits in the partition. Before both the two walls of the partition are put in place, fillings ll of relatively soft sound-absorbing material are inserted between the walls. The fillings 11 can advantageously consist of slabs of plastic-impregnated mineral wool but also other materials can come into question, provided that they possess the required acoustical qualities. It is also desirable that the fillings should have such a thickness and stiffness that they can to a certain degree assist in the transmission of mechanical loads between the partition walls without therefore being liable to transmit sound. From an acoustical point of view it is not necessary that the fillings 11 extend over more than a major part, preferably not less than 70 percent, of the total area of the partition, possible openings therein being, of course, excl'uded.

I claim:

1. A partition wall structure comprising in combination:

a. a first row comprising a plurality of erect panels that are aligned in edge-to-edge relationship along their vertical sides so as to form the one face of the wall structure,

b. a second row comprising a plurality of erect panels that are aligned in edge-to-edge relationship along their vertical sides so as to form the opposite face of the wall structure,

3-. maintain said first and second rows in a spaced *a'partessentially parallel relationship,

d. a limited number of vertically extending stud members which l. are located at widely spaced intervals so as to support only a few of said panels in each of said "first an'd'second rows, and 2. further assist in maintaining said first and second rows in spaced apart essentially parallel relationship,

3. the number of such stud members being considerably less than the number of pairs of adjacent panels in each of said first and second rows,

4. said stud members forming together with said floor and ceiling runners the only members of the wall structure bridging the interspace between the two rows of panels,

e. each of said panels in said first and second rows 1. extending approximately from floor to ceiling, 2. having a height greater than its width,

3. having a width which is considerably less than the distance between adjacent stud members,

4. having a side portion that includes a vertically extending surface that is adapted to face the corresponding vertically extending surface of the side portion of the next adjacent panel,

5. having a side portion that also includes a vertically extending groove that is located rearwardly of said vertically extending surface,

6. having an inherent stiffness which is insufficient to avoid deflection tendencies of the panel over a length corresponding to its height, but sufficient to make the deflection tendency of the panel over a length corresponding to its width negligible,

f. a plurality of vertically extending separate rib members, one for each pair of adjacent panels in each of said first and second rows, each of which 1. serves as a vertical stiffener for the related pair of panels in each its separate one of said first or second rows only,

2. has a first vertical portion that is inserted and retained between adjacent panels and extends laterally into the facing vertical grooves that are located in the edges of both adjacent panels,

3. has a second vertical portion that extends rearwardly into the space between said first and second rows a distance that is less than the distance between said first and second rows, thereby preventing the occurrence of sound-transmitting bridging of the interspace between said first and second rows, and

4. is entirely independent of said stud members and neither connected to nor supported by any other rib member, and

g. sound absorbing material disposed between said first and second rows of panels, all in such a manner that said first and second rows of panels will form spaced wall elements considerably larger in size than each individual panel therein and mutually connected by sound-transmitting structural members only within a minimum of widely spaced,

restricted areas, whereby the sound-insulating capacity of the partition is greatly improved.

2. A wall structure according to claim 1 wherein the floor and ceiling runners as well as the studs comprise sheet metal channel bars.

I 3. A wall structure according to claim 1 wherein each panel comprises two boards joined together in face-toface relationship with a small interspace forming grooves in the vertical side edges of the composite panel, at least the external one of said two boards having a low flexural strength.

4. A wall structure according to claim 3iwherein the external one of said two boards comprises gypsum plasterboard.

5. A wall structure according to claim 1 wherein said first vertical portion set forth in (f) (2) comprises a pair of flanges lying in the same plane and extending away from each other, said flanges being proportioned to nest within the grooves of two adjacent panels to thereby form a loose tongue between them.

6. A wall structure according to claim 1 wherein the grooved panel edges are stepped with respect to the vertically extending surface so as to permit abutment of adjacent vertically extending surfaces.

'7. A wall structure according to claim 1 wherein said rib members set forth in (f) comprise bars of l-like cross section each having first and second pairs of flanges lying in parallel planes at a distance from each other exceeding the distance between the groove in each panel and the internal face of the same panel. 

1. A partition wall structure comprising in combination: a. a first row comprising a plurality of erect panels that are aligned in edge-to-edge relationship along their vertical sides so as to form the one face of the wall structure, b. a second row comprising a plurality of erect panels that are aligned in edge-to-edge relationship along their vertical sides so as to form the opposite face of the wall structure, c. floor runners and ceiling runners that
 1. are adapted to be attached to the floor and ceiling respectively of a room,
 2. establish the vertical planes in which said first and second rows will be maintained,
 3. maintain said first and second rows in a spaced apart essentially parallel relationship, d. a limited number of vertically extending stud members which
 1. are located at widely spaced intervals so as to support only a few of said panels in each of said first and second rows, and
 2. further assist in maintaining said first and second rows in spaced apart essentially parallel relationship,
 3. the number of such stud members being considerably less than the number of pairs of adjacent panels in each of said first and second rows,
 4. said stud members forming together with said floor and ceiling runners the only members of the wall structure bridging the interspace between the two rows of paNels, e. each of said panels in said first and second rows
 1. extending approximately from floor to ceiling,
 2. having a height greater than its width,
 3. having a width which is considerably less than the distance between adjacent stud members,
 4. having a side portion that includes a vertically extending surface that is adapted to face the corresponding vertically extending surface of the side portion of the next adjacent panel,
 5. having a side portion that also includes a vertically extending groove that is located rearwardly of said vertically extending surface,
 6. having an inherent stiffness which is insufficient to avoid deflection tendencies of the panel over a length corresponding to its height, but sufficient to make the deflection tendency of the panel over a length corresponding to its width negligible, f. a plurality of vertically extending separate rib members, one for each pair of adjacent panels in each of said first and second rows, each of which
 1. serves as a vertical stiffener for the related pair of panels in each its separate one of said first or second rows only,
 2. has a first vertical portion that is inserted and retained between adjacent panels and extends laterally into the facing vertical grooves that are located in the edges of both adjacent panels,
 3. has a second vertical portion that extends rearwardly into the space between said first and second rows a distance that is less than the distance between said first and second rows, thereby preventing the occurrence of sound-transmitting bridging of the interspace between said first and second rows, and
 4. is entirely independent of said stud members and neither connected to nor supported by any other rib member, and g. sound absorbing material disposed between said first and second rows of panels, all in such a manner that said first and second rows of panels will form spaced wall elements considerably larger in size than each individual panel therein and mutually connected by sound-transmitting structural members only within a minimum of widely spaced, restricted areas, whereby the sound-insulating capacity of the partition is greatly improved.
 2. establish the vertical planes in which said first and second rows will be maintained,
 2. further assist in maintaining said first and second rows in spaced apart essentially parallel relationship,
 2. A wall structure according to claim 1 wherein the floor and ceiling runners as well as the studs comprise sheet metal channel bars.
 2. has a first vertical portion that is inserted and retained between adjacent panels and extends laterally into the facing vertical grooves that are located in the edges of both adjacent panels,
 2. having a height greater than its width,
 3. having a width which is considerably less than the distance between adjacent stud members,
 3. the number of such stud members being considerably less than the number of pairs of adjacent panels in each of said first and second rows,
 3. A wall structure according to claim 1 wherein each panel comprises two boards joined together in face-to-face relationship with a small interspace forming grooves in the vertical side edges of the composite panel, at least the external one of said two boards having a low flexural strength.
 3. has a second vertical portion that extends rearwardly into the space between said first and second rows a distance that is less than the distance between said first and second rows, thereby preventing the occurrence of sound-transmitting bridging of the interspace between said first and second rows, and
 3. maintain said first and second rows in a spaced apart essentially parallel relationship, d. a limited number of vertically extending stud members which
 4. is entirely independent of said stud members and neither connected to nor supported by any other rib member, and g. sound absorbing material disposed between said first and second rows of panels, all in such a manner that said first and second rows of panels will form spaced wall elements considerably larger in size than each individual panel therein and mutually connected by sound-transmitting structural members only within a minimum of widely spaced, restricted areas, whereby the sound-insulating capacity of the partition is greatly improved.
 4. A wall structure according to claim 3 wherein the external one of said two boards comprises gypsum plasterboard.
 4. said stud members forming together with said floor and ceiling runners the only members of the wall structure bridging the interspace between the two rows of paNels, e. each of said panels in said first and second rows
 4. having a side portion that includes a vertically extending surface that is adapted to face the corresponding vertically extending surface of the side portion of the next adjacent panel,
 5. having a side portion that also includes a vertically extending groove that is located rearwardly of said vertically extending surface,
 5. A wall structure according to claim 1 wherein said first vertical portion set forth in (f) (2) comprises a pair of flanges lying in the same plane and extending away from each other, said flanges being proportioned to nest within the grooves of two adjacent panels to thereby form a loose tongue between them.
 6. A wall structure according to claim 1 wherein the grooved panel edges are stepped with respect to the vertically extending surface so as to permit abutment of adjacent vertically extending surfaces.
 6. having an inherent stiffness which is insufficient to avoid deflection tendencies of the panel over a length corresponding to its height, but sufficient to make the deflection tendency of the panel over a length corresponding to its width negligible, f. a plurality of vertically extending separate rib members, one for each pair of adjacent panels in each of said first and second rows, each of which
 7. A wall structure according to claim 1 wherein said rib members set forth in (f) comprise bars of I-like cross section each having first and second pairs of flanges lying in parallel planes at a distance from each other exceeding the distance between the groove in each panel and the internal face of the same panel. 